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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27526078">The String to Nowhere (Fate's Made a Fool of Me)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisekiyoo/pseuds/kisekiyoo'>kisekiyoo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Third Gym (Haikyuu!!)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 06:02:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,890</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27526078</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisekiyoo/pseuds/kisekiyoo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsukishima Kei is a hopeless romantic-- or at least, was. It wasn't a toxic relationship, bad childhood, or an unforgiving experience, rather, fate has made him the fool. </p><p>The "String of Fate" is the classic romantic tale of two soulmates connected by a thread, however, they never tell the stories of what happens when there's no one on the end of the string. Call it a cosmic mistake, but it's harsh taste of reality for any romantic.</p><p>Tsukishima's hope for a classic tale of love and a happily ever after quickly fade and his perspective on the subject completely shifts. In his mind blooms a garden of invasive thoughts. Why should he hope for something he isn't destined for?</p><p>However, he quickly becomes conflicted when he befriends Kuroo Tetsurou, another hopeless romantic. He doesn't regret becoming his disciple, but can he handle being reminded of his worst memory when around the other?</p><p>However, just as there are reasons to lose faith in love, Tsukishima learns that there's just as many reasons to gain a hope for romance. Love is a gradient with its many ups and downs and as the pair become tangled together in a web, they'll realize just how much they have to learn from each other.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The String to Nowhere (Fate's Made a Fool of Me)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>special thanks to the person that got me into kurotsuki for introducing me to such an amazing ship dynamic :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>It was any other sunny weekend morning. Walking down the street with Yamaguchi, him ranting my ear off about volleyball and plans to join a real team when we get older. I responded cheerily. I wanted to follow in Akiteru’s footsteps, after all. I bet my soulmate would love the sport, too. That was supposed to be it. The day was supposed to be the usual, but I happened to take a glance down at my string, the talk of volleyball reminding me of them, making me wonder if they were just as passionate as I was.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>However, it seems that my whole world froze as I realized that the end of the string lay not too far from the knot on my pinky. Everything seemed to go silent in my world and everything around me seemed to crumble. Yamaguchi was calling out to me, but it was muffled. That was the first and last day I cried. And that was the day I learned that disappointment was to be expected in a world like mine.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>…ring</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>...Ring</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>...RING</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The persistent blaring of his phone’s alarm clock is a harsh awakening after a long night without rest. After a bit of shuffling, Tsukishima snoozed from the alarm, his eyes focused towards the ceiling of his room. The room was dark, the faint glow of the moonlight just barely peering through the blinds. Despite the grogginess of the remnants of his sleep, thoughts run rampant in his mind as he’s reminded of three facts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One, he was up late last night listening to his best friend, the one person he thought he’d never lose, rant to him about meeting his soulmate by complete chance whilst out the day before with Yachi. He’d mentioned a name, but Tsukishima had been too taken aback to remember anything more than the fact that he played the same sport and went to a school in their prefecture. Of course, he knew his best friend had a soulmate, he just never expected the conversation to happen so suddenly. Though, Yamaguchi was always polite towards him, and Tsukishima could tell that he was being cautious with his choice of words. He was grateful. His friend was being considerate of the fact that his own red string led to no one. He just wasn’t prepared for that topic spreading around the team, since he’d be spending an entire weekend with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bringing the topic to fact two. Tsukishima was going to a training camp in Tokyo that week. Fortunately, this was the shorter of two camps. It’d only last through the weekend, but that, sadly (at least for him), meant that there would be another training camp he’d be forced to attend in the summer. Takeda had mentioned it briefly— after “Golden Week” that they’d attended earlier, they were invited to the final two camps. Of course, the team was overjoyed to hear that they’d be put against countless talented teams from the Tokyo prefecture, however, he really couldn’t see the point in exhausting himself over a mere extracurricular. Not to mention, they had to leave pretty early in the morning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On that note— fact three. The alarm he set was for the purpose of making sure he wasn’t late— and of course, being so deep in thought, he hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed. Soon after checking his phone, he came to the realization that he had little time before he had to be out of the house if he wanted to be on time. He shot out of bed, scrambling to gather the things he needed, stumbling around the room before snatching his glasses off the nightstand and pushing them onto his face. As if on cue, he heard a muffled knock from his front door, followed by a familiar voice— far too cheery for this early in the morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tsukki! Are you awake? You haven’t responded to my texts. We have to get going soon or we’ll miss the bus! I don’t think the team’s gonna wait around so long.” Yamaguchi called through the door before knocking again. Tsukishima pulled his bag onto his shoulder before curiously glancing at his phone’s notifications.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>14 texts from Tadashi</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>3 missed calls from Tadashi</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Was I really that deep in thought?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima quickly snapped out of his thoughts before his mind wandered once more, his footsteps echoing through the hall. He pulled on his shoes and opened the door, met by a relieved look from Yamaguchi, who had his phone open, fully prepared to call him again if he hadn’t responded to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tsukki! Are you ready to go? I was worried that you were still asleep. I didn’t want to keep knocking just in case your family was asleep, but I didn’t want you to miss the bus either.” The freckled male explained. Tsukishima only replied with a hum, walking alongside him as they headed towards Karasuno. Yamaguchi wasn’t entirely wrong in his assumption. To be fair, Tsukishima had been asleep mere minutes earlier before he knocked. Though in his defense, it had been a late night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not exactly excited about this whole camp thing. We’ll probably just lose. We’re going against the practical powerhouses of Tokyo. If we can’t even manage a win against Seijoh, why look forward to the practice matches?” Tsukishima questioned. He didn’t really understand the whole thing. He lacked passion for the sport, but then again, he lacked passion for a lot of things. His grip on his bag strap tightened ever so slightly. The lingering presence of the red string on his pinky was a cruel reminder of his lack of blind faith and boundless energy. He lost that a while ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about getting better, learning and having fun. These matches aren’t high stakes— they’re only for practice. It’ll be a nice way for the team to improve! We won’t be under so much stress. Plus, we get individual practice time afterwards— which means we get to practice with some people from those powerhouses who can teach us stuff. I’m gonna keep practicing my serves. Aren’t you gonna practice something?” His best friend’s gaze fell on him. Tsukishima let out a soft sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What’s the point? I’ll only get disappointed again if I put so much energy into something that I gain nothing from.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If the individual practice is optional, I’ll just skip out. I’d rather rest. I don’t see a point in overexerting myself for an extracurricular. It won’t do anything for me— stressing myself out like that.” He muttered, a slight sense of distaste in his tone. The conversation went quiet after that, only the sound of their footsteps on the pavement filling the silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After their arrival at the school, and many tired greetings from his teammates (minus Kageyama and Hinata), who Tsukishima presumed, didn’t get much sleep either, the group was on the road. Tsukishima made an attempt to sleep, but couldn’t seem to quiet his mind, so instead, he stared out the window, thoughts of what was to come during camp and what conversations were to be had running through his mind. In all honesty, he was already making plans to avoid all contact with those other overly excitable, volleyball obsessed individuals. He glimpsed over at Yamaguchi, dozed off next to him. He really only wanted to talk with his best friend. He was the only one who really understood him and his situation— at least as much as he really could. Maybe Yamaguchi didn’t understand it from his own experience, but they grew up together, and he witnessed Tsukishima’s personality shift for himself, so there was a level of unspoken understanding between them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned his attention back out the window, managing to catch the sun rise over the horizon after quite a while. The golden rays filled the bus, followed by tired yawns and soft chatter. He caught a glimpse of light and looked down at the red string once again, the other end resting between his feet as a bitter reminder of his situation. He pulled on his headphones to tune out his teammates as they all fully began to energize themselves and to distract himself. Finally, as he focused on his music, he fell asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After what felt like only a moment, he was being shaken awake by Tadashi. He groaned in response and tugged his headphones back around his neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tsukki! You have to get up. We’re here. They’re gonna lead us to the room we’re staying in and we have to drop our stuff off before practice starts!” Yamaguchi persisted. He got up and grabbed his things. Tsukishima followed tiredly, still waking up from his brief nap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the usual unpacking and change of clothes, they were in practice. They’d only warmed up a bit before they were thrown into their first practice match. Beyond that, it was simply one match after the next and flying lap after flying lap. They hadn’t won a single game, and it wasn’t much of a surprise. After countless lost sets, they were joined by the King and their resident shorty, and had won a single game before they were released for optional individual practice and dinner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, as he left the court, Kei recalled something. Throughout the day, he’d noticed that Nekoma’s Captain was almost taunting him every time they played against each other. There was something about it though— perhaps some level of fascination or curiosity— that made the taunts just that much more irritating to him. He’d block every spike Kageyama set him, and always eye him no matter where on the court he was placed. As often as he could, the scheming captain wound target him. And just as he thought it was over—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Glasses! Wait up!” An unfamiliar voice called out to him. He turned around, met with token spiked black hair and cat-like eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want exactly? I’m not going to practice with you, if that’s what you’re going to ask me.” Tsukishima informed bluntly, an annoyed expression plastered across his face, soon turning to begin his walk back to the rooms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I wasn’t going to ask you that. I just wanted to talk to you. I mean, after Golden Week and our first match— you caught my eye. You’re the complete opposite of the shorty. I can see you analyzing every situation with your blocks. I see potential there, yknow? So I’m curious about you. Especially considering that you hardly look like you enjoy playing.” The male explained, though only receiving a narrowed gaze in response as Tsukishima paused to turn towards him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how I feel about that. You watching me so closely- sounds a little stalker-like to me. I don’t even know your name.” Tsukishima mentioned, a slight smirk arising on his face after seeing the raven’s shocked expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not stalking you! I’m just watching how you play- it's strange. You’re smart, yet you never try to improve your skills. And my name is Kuroo Tetsurou. Care to share yours?” Kuroo insisted with a huff, arms now crossed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tetsurou, Huh? Somehow that name is oddly fitting for someone as smug as him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tsukishima Kei. And unlike the rest of you, I’m not exactly the type to overwork myself for the sake of some sport. It's just a club, and we’re only going to lose in the end.” Tsukishima spoke, his gaze kept forward. He had a pretty good idea of what his reaction would be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Extra practice isn’t overworking yourself, Glasses face. And what’s with the wet blanket of an attitude? Why are you expecting so much disappointment? Not everything turns out as terrible as you make it out to be. So why are you being such a downer? It's much more than just a club, you know. Do you even enjoy it?” Kuroo questioned, his focus set on the blonde. The statement struck a nerve with Tsukishima.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Who does this guy think he is? Has he seriously never been disappointed once in his life? Does he seriously not have a speck of understanding here?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop asking so many questions, it’s my business. Besides, we just met. I don’t get why you’re so concerned with my life. Go bother someone else who wants it. Quit messing with me.” Tsukishima sneered, glaring at the male, becoming increasingly ticked off as Kuroo continued to follow him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Look I didn’t mean to tap into a sensitive subject, I’m just genuinely curious! Look. I understand having a general apathy towards most things. That’s what Kenma’s like. He doesn’t exactly like volleyball that much. But you’re different. You just lack passion. I can’t even tell if you like volleyball or not— or anything for that matter. That’s why I’m intrigued by it.” Kuroo paused where he stood as he observed the male for a few moments. Tsukishima stopped, looking back at the other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Can he really  ead me and understand so much just by watching me play? This guy really is something else. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine. I’ll admit one thing so you'll leave me alone. It’s a complicated situation. I won’t go into detail, but I do enjoy volleyball. I just don’t see any point to put so much effort into something that’s just an extracurricular.” Tsukishima responded. He didn’t really feel like telling a practical stranger his life story. Kuroo seemed to be a bit more satisfied with his answer, more or less relaxed that Tsukishima wasn’t entirely pissed at him. He walked over and slung an arm around the male and began dragging him off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I only admitted that so you'd leave me alone- Where are we going exactly?” Tsukishima muttered, unsure of what exactly the older male was planning. Kuroo turned to him, meeting his eyes and smiling slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you. You fascinate me. I wanna know your story, Tsukki. I want you to go into detail. You seem like you keep to yourself enough as is. That kind of thing can make you real tense. But then again, I did the same thing when I was your age. It’s good to get it off your chest.” Kuroo insisted before letting out a small sigh, sensing the hesitation from Tsukishima.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look. I know you don’t like having blind faith. But trust me, okay? I'm you upperclassman! Besides, it’s not like I have any ulterior motives or anything. I’m not asking for your full, undying trust. I’m asking you to use that head of yours and see that I’m not tryna hurt you. I just wanna get to know you.” The male explained. Tsukishima went silent, pondering for a few moments.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For some odd reason, he felt drawn to him— comfortable, in a way. He felt inclined to at least give him a chance. He just couldn’t really explain why. He hated not having a reasonable explanation, but he supposed that maybe his personality was just welcoming, even to someone as cold as himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, a quick reminder echoed in his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It's foolish to think that this won't lead to a disappointing outcome. Just like everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima let out an exasperated sigh and pulled himself out of Kuroo's grasp. He stepped back from the male, who game him a confused gaze in response to the sudden action.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Look, I don't get why you're being so open and forward. Let me reiterate- we just met. Did you really expect me to just agree and tell you everything about myself? Sorry, but that's not the type of person I am." Tsukishima stated coldly. He felt bad with hoe dejected the other looked. Though, that expression only lasted a moment before it became a smug grin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's fine! We can go at your snail's pace then. We're talking, even if it's about basic stuff! I'll get you to open up to me one day, though." Kuroo said, a determined tone backing his words. Tsukishima rolled his eyes a bit, figuring that with ho persistent he was, there was no getting out of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine. I'll compromise. But don't expect us to be all close after this. I'm only doing this to get you to stop pestering me so much." The male informed, quietly following the male outside so they could have a proper conversation.</span>
  <span> Kuroo led them outside to one of the hills to talk privately. Tsukishima sat down, watching quietly as the other laid down next to him and stared up at the sky. The moonlight painted him in a faint blue glow, and strangely enough, Kei somehow found himself feeling completely comfortable despite being sat next to a practical stranger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Tsukki. Tell me about yourself. You won't open up, so tell me whatever you want. I'll answer some of your questions in return. That way you can't complain that this is one-sided.” Kuroo spoke softly, a teasing smirk on his face as he glanced at the other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A certain feeling bloomed in Tsukishima's chest. He wouldn’t trust Kuroo fully. That’d just be foolish, but he definitely recognized that this would be the beginning of an interesting chapter of his life. He recognized the male's persistence and he doubted that this would e the last time that they'd talk.</span>
</p><p>And somehow, despite earlier irritation, he was perfectly fine with that.</p>
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